Archive of articles - November 2009, page 10
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Schools with an IT focus in Slovakia
Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics (ComeniusUniversity), www.fmph.uniba.sk
Dissidents and their groupings
In pre-revolutionary Slovakia, dissidents were basically divided into three groups, which were very often intertwined: intellectuals, religious believers, and environmentalists. Intellectuals often belonged to one of the other two groups, but the core group were neither religious nor environmentally-motivated. The late head of the Nation’s Memory Institute, Ján Langoš, used to act as the link between intellectuals and religious believers. “He was a strong personality with great charisma and had the revolution come later he would have become the leader,” Martin Šimečka, another former dissident, recalls. Šimečka got involved in dissident movement through his father Milan, in the mid 1970s. At that time, dissent was much weaker in Slovakia than in the Czech lands, with only a few dozen people daring to voice opposition to the regime. The first years of so-called ‘normalisation’, i.e. the consolidation of communist rule after the Soviet invasion in 1968 which abruptly ended the political thawing of the 1960s and replaced it with harsh oppression, seemed like some kind of search, he says. Generally, people were afraid of everybody and everything, Šimečka recalls. However, the situation was much worse in the Czech lands, and so dissent there was also much more desperate, and thus also courageous. In the beginning, dissidents like e.g. Miroslav Kusý (now a political analyst), Jozef Jablonický, the late writer Dominik Tatarka and another writer, Hana Ponická, often met up with Czech intellectuals like Milan Uhde, or writers Ivan Klíma and Ludvík Vaculík. They met at weekend cottages, often pursuing quite complicated schemes in order not to be followed and bugged by the ŠtB secret police. Although they discussed politics and petitioned for the release of prisoners of conscience they never really expected the regime to fall. They also published samizdat works, i.e. self-published pamphlets and books which were copied and distributed in secret.
Four regions elect their leaders in the first round
FOUR incumbents have secured their positions in the Košice, Nitra, Trnava and Žilina regions in the first round of elections held on November 14 in Slovakia’s eight regions. In the remaining four regions, Bratislava, Trenčín, Banská Bystrica and Prešov the two top candidates will clash in second round elections to be held on November 28.
Opposition asks for investigation of alleged vote buying
AFTER voting ended in the regional elections in Slovakia on the evening of November 14, four centre-right opposition members of the Slovak parliament from the Prešov Region requested the government to investigate what they called tampering with votes and vote buying at Roma settlements. They claim that votes were bought in particular in the districts of Sabinov, Vranov nad Topľou, and Prešov, the SITA newswire reported.
Most regional parliaments will be led by coalitions dominated by Smer - complete version
Observers say that the official results from the regional elections reflect to a large degree the current level of sympathies for Slovakia’s political parties at the state level. According to political scientist Juraj Marušiak, the regional results confirm certain stability in the distribution of political forces in Slovakia, newswire TASR wrote.
22.9 percent of voters atended regional elections
IN THE FIRST round of regional elections, 22.9-percent of the 4,397,619 eligible voters cast their abllots, according to the official results announced by the Central Elections Commission on November 15.
Košice, Nitra, Trnava and Žilina elect regional leaders in first round
FOUR incumbents have secured their positions in the Košice, Nitra, Trnava and Žilina regions in the first round of elections held on November 14 in Slovakia’s eight regions. In the remaining four regions, Bratislava, Trenčín, Banská Bystrica and Prešov the two top candidates will clash in second round elections to be held on November 28.
Regional elections start: Eight regions, hundreds of candidates
SLOVAKS in general still lack a clear understanding of the role of the regional authorities or the impact they can have on their lives, observers say. Despite a collective budget of more than €1.1 billion in 2010, many people are unaware of how much the eight Self-Governing Regions (VÚCs) are responsible for spending.
Regions elect their leaders
THIS MONTH’S regional elections are likely to be the last big issue on this year’s political agenda in Slovakia, coming just after one of the annual milestones – the passing of the state budget. Voters in the country’s eight regions will vote to elect regional presidents and members of Slovakia’s regional parliaments on November 14. Regional president candidates need to obtain more than fifty percent of the votes cast in their region to avoid a run-off on November 28 – none were expected to.
Slovakia's regions elect leaders
Regional elections are likely to be the last big issue on this year’s political agenda in Slovakia, coming just after one of the annual milestones – the passing of the state budget. Voters in the country’s eight regions will vote to elect regional presidents and members of Slovakia’s regional parliaments on November 14. Regional president candidates need to obtain more than fifty percent of the votes cast in their region to avoid a run-off on November 28 – none were expected to.
Trenčín University rector claims media harassment
Trenčín University rector Miroslav Mečár said on November 12 that he has filed a criminal complaint with police against the weeks-long, “all limits overstepping” pressure of the media on his school over the probe into illegally-granted degrees for several students there, the TASR newswire reported.
Slota: Depriving me of salary is SMK's revenge
Slovak National Party (SNS) chairman Ján Slota, who was penalised one month of his MP's salary for not attending sessions of the Parliamentary committee for human rights, minorities and the status of women, told journalists in Žilina on Thursday, November 12, that he views the move as revenge from the ethnic-Hungarian SMK party, the TASR newswire wrote.
Top government officials won't have salaries valorised in 2010
Slovak MPs, the President and government members won't have their salaries valorised in 2010 according to an amendment to the Income Tax Act signed by President Ivan Gašparovič on Thursday, November 12, the TASR newswire reported.
SDKÚ MP suggests publishing court verdicts on the internet
Opposition Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) deputy and former Justice Minister Lucia Žitňanská has proposed that Slovakia's courts publish all their verdicts on the internet within three days after they come into force, the SITA newswire wrote.
Slovak Constitutional Court agrees to hear ‘expropriation law’ complaint
The Constitutional Court has accepted for further consideration a motion brought by a group of opposition parliamentary deputies to challenge the constitutionality of some provisions of the law on one-off extraordinary measures to prepare some highway and dual-carriageway projects, also known as the ‘expropriation law’. The law allows road construction to begin on land whose ownership remains in question. According to the law, construction work can begin on private land within Slovakia’s entire projected network of D1 to D4 highways and R1 to R8 dual-carriageways.
More mobiles than people in Slovakia
Penetration of mobile telephony services in Slovakia reached ‘101.03 percent’ as of late September 2009, a rise of 2.36 percentage points from the same time last year. The three mobile operators in Slovakia, Orange Slovensko, T-Mobile Slovensko and Telefonica O2 Slovakia, registered 5.47 million active SIM cards as of September 2007, a net increase of 127,000 year-on-year. The operators reported an increase in the number of active clients by 17,000 in Q3 alone, the SITA newswire wrote.
EC: Slovakia should cut its budget deficit by 2013
Slovakia has been told by the European Commission to cut its general government deficit by the end of 2013. In a recommendation to the EU Council, the commission proposes giving nine European Union countries including Slovakia until 2013 to bring their deficits down to below the 3 percent limit set by Europe’s Growth and Stability Pact.
Poll: Most Slovaks will keep spending this Christmas, despite crisis
A survey by the consultants Deloitte suggests that more than half of Slovaks will spend the same or more on Christmas than last year despite the effects of the global economic crisis. Forty-five percent of respondents in a survey conducted by Deloitte said they planned to spend the same on Christmas presents this year, while 13 percent said they would spend more. Forty-two percent of those polled admitted they would be less generous with their gifts than in 2008, the SITA newswire wrote.
NKÚ begins inspection into bulletin-board tender at Slovak Construction Ministry
Slovakia’s Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) is to launch an inspection on Thursday, November 12, into the money spent in the so-called 'bulletin-board' tender at the Construction and Regional Development Ministry, NKÚ spokesperson Lenka Nosálová announced on Wednesday, November 11. She said that the conclusions of the inspection can be expected "within roughly two months", with the length of the process depending on the complexity of the documents presented by the ministry.
SNS head Slota to lose one month’s salary
Slovak National Party (SNS) chairman Ján Slota will lose one month of his MP's salary, including bonuses, for four unexcused absences from sessions of the parliamentary committee for human rights, minorities and the status of women in October, committee chairman József Berényi said at a press conference on Wednesday, November 11, adding that he had already sent Slota written notice of the penalty.
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- From eight to thousands of runners. How Košice marathon rose to prominence Photo
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Iconic Slovak barn still draws crowds. Without donors, it might have been lost Photo
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- Maria Theresa on the banks of Bratislava
- No more photos or bank statements? Slovakia moves to ease residence process
- The Kremlin’s security agency has a Russian contractor in Slovakia - no one has noticed
- Fico praises China and Vietnam as models, says liberal democracy has failed
- News digest: Violent gang in Bratislava is under arrest
- Top 10 events in Bratislava for foreigners
- 3 free things to do in Bratislava in the next seven days
- Legendary captain Zdeno Chára inducted into IIHF Hall of Fame Video
- Liberal MP's boxing challenge backfires as far-right MEP seizes the moment
- The law changed. Our family papers were ready. Now my kids are Slovak citizens
- News digest: Prosecutor seeks jail for NBS Governor Kažimír as his political support wanes
- Slovakia loses another EV model to Spain as Stellantis chooses Zaragoza over Trnava
- Slovak female triathlete shatters barriers with historic win at Himalayan event
- Weekend: Celebration of fun comes to Malacky Photo
- News digest: Fico’s bloc wants to save money by restricting electoral access More articles ›
